Air moistener



Feb. 27, 1934. J. H. MITCHELL AIR MOISTENER Filed April 26, 1932 A W A W Q H9 JMJHIFJ John HMitcfielZ.

' Fatented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES ATNT -FFiCE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in airmoisteners for radiators, especially adapted for oifice and household use.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a means for increasing the humidity of the air in a room by inserting fin units containing absorbent material between the coils of a radiator with their lower ends projecting down into a water container so that, by capillary attraction, more moisture may be exposed to the not air circulating between the radiator coils.

Another object of my invention is to provide a means whereby the humidity of the air in a room may be regulated by increasing or reducing the number of fin units, or by varying the sizes of the fin units, or by moving said units near or away from the radiator coils.

A further object is to provide an air-moistener in which the absorbent sheets, when soiled, may be easily extracted and new sheets inserted in the fins without removing the device from the radiator.

A further object is to provide an air-moistener which is simple in form, economical to manufacture and readily adjusted to fit various radiators,

and which is only partially visible when in position in the radiator.

Other objects will become manifest in the following description, and in the drawing in which similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the various views, wherein Figure l is an elevation of the air-moistener in combination with a radiator; Fig. 2, a plan view of the rectangular receptacle showing its oblong aperture with corrugated lining and two fins in position; Fig. 3, a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the fiuted frame fin and absorbent sheet; and Fig. l, a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, 8 indicates a radiator of the usual type with connecting pipe 9. Numeral 10 represents a partially covered rectangular receptacle with a large oblong aperture 11 in its rear portion having a corrugated or grooved lining 12 around the inner edges thereof and a number of cross-braces 13 for holding the sides rigid in order to support absorbent units in a vertical position. Removably mounted in the aperture 11 of said receptacle and supported by the corrugations therein are a plurality of fluted border frames, or fins 14. Each of these fins is made in the form of an L with enlarged base, inverted so that the stem 15 extends down between the corrugations of the aperture and the enlarged portion 16 with an open or slotted top 17 proiects over the covered part of the receptacle. One or more absorbent sheets 18, forming an absorbent unit, are removably inserted in each fin through its open top with their stem-like ends extending into the water in the receptacle and their large upper ends projecting slightly above the top of the fin so that they may be easily replaced. A tubular orifice 19, with top fiush with the top of the receptacle to prevent overflowing and disposed so as to indicate the level of the water, is provided for filling the device with water when it is in position with a radiator.

The parts or the air-moistener are so proportioned that the rectangular receptacle will easily slide under the common forms of radiators, and the fin units will slip transversely between the radiator coils to the rear of the connecting radiator pipe, so that when the device is in position in a radiator it is almost entirely concealed, (Fig. 1). In use, the receptacle (Fig. 2) is placed 745 under the radiator against the wall and tilted toward the front. Then one or more sheets of absorbent material, forming an absorbent unit, are inserted in each border-frame, or fin and this loaded fin, or reinforced fin unit (Fig. 3), is positioned transversely between the radiator coils with its stem mounted in the corrugations (Fig. 4) of the receptacle behind the connecting radiator pipe. When all the fin units required have been thus positioned, the receptacle is righted and moved forward until all the fin units, supported by the corrugations of the receptacle, stand vertical between the coils of the radiator (Fig. 1). The receptacle is then filled with water through the tubular orifice provided. By capillary attraction the absorbent sheets in the fin units become saturated with water and moisten the air circulating between the radiator coils. Dust particles in the air may be attracted to the moist fin units and necessitate changing the inexpensive absorbent sheets occasionally. The rigid covered front portion of the receptacle which lessens the quantity of dust falling into the water, also permits tilting said receptacle forward, without overflowing the water, so that the soiled absorbent sheets may be easily extracted and new sheets inserted into the fins without removing either the fins or the device from the radiator.

From the above description it will be seen that 105 this air-moistener is economical by reason of the simplicity of its parts; that it provides an extensive and expandible moist surface adjustable to the proximity of heat; that by increasing or reducing the number of the fin units, or by moving the receptacle so as to place the fin units near or partially away from the radiator coils, the humidity of the air in a room may be regulated as desired. It will also be seen that the absorbent fin units expose a large area of moist surface to the circulating air so that an airmoistener shorter than the radiator will provide all the moisture required, and when it is moved to a smaller radiator the number of fin units may be reduced accordingly. The size of the air-moistener or its parts may also be varied in order to adapt it to the various types of radiators, without departing from the basic principle of my invention.

I claim:

1. An air moistener consisting of an oblong receptacle adapted to fit beneath a heating radiator and having a longitudinal opening in the top thereof adjacent the rear edge, a plurality of sockets resiliently mounted within the opening, a plurality of supporting members adapted to fit the sockets and each consisting of an interiorly grooved inverted L-shaped frame having an open top and bottom and containing a plurality of absorbent sheets and adapted to be positioned between the coils of a heating radiator.

2. An air moistener consisting of an oblong receptacle having a longitudinal opening in the top thereof adjacent the rear edge and having spring flanges directed downwardly within the opening, a plurality of sockets mounted on the flanges, a plurality of supporting members arranged to fit the sockets, each consisting of an interiorly grooved frame with an enlarged upper portion and having an open top and bottom and adapted to contain a plurality of absorbent sheets, and a combined filling and liquid level indicating means consisting of a spout projecting obliquely from one side of the receptacle and having its open end in the same plane as the top of the receptacle and in line with the longitudinal opening.

JOHN H. MITCHELL. 

